Sunday, July 30, 2006

I blogged about this song a minute ago the first time I heard it (raving about it of course). Kanye really rips this verse. Just like he rips his verse on that Number ONE joint with him and Skateboard P. I notice he always steps his game up when he's on track with other people. The Cons (Consequence) does ayight on this joint as well.

It's Sunday so I figure I'll drop a little of what I've been thinking about this morning. My relationship with church. Yes, church and I have a relationship. Not the tightest of relationships, but it exists.

Most of you who know me probably know that I don't go to church often at all. A good friend of mine in NJ (waddup Denea) asked me the last time we spoke if I'd started going back to church again. I felt kind of bad because a minute ago she and I had a conversation about church and how we both felt about church in general. At that time, I told her that I planned on going more often. As it turned out, that was just a momentary desire.

But over the past few weeks I've been thinking about going back to church at least a couple times a month. Since my family went to church with my stepfather on his birthday a couple weeks ago, I've really felt like I *should* start going again. But I have my reservations/issues with church. Let me explain...

Church and God for me can be paralleled (sort of) to someone's relationship with a drunk, crack-head uncle in your family and his son/daughter (your cousin) that you are REAL TIGHT with. Don't get me wrong here, just let me explain.

For me, church is like that crack-head uncle that you love, but you don't really want to see or talk to him all the time because you know he is always doing and saying some wild shyt that just ain't right. Not to mention, he is always asking his nephew for money. You love him, but you can't really eff with him like that all the time or believe what he's saying all the time. Church (for me) is like that in the sense that sometimes when I go to church, I can see just how much the preachers play with people's minds. I believe preachers are psychologists in a way. They can manipulate words and re-iterate scriptures in a way that can make you be like "D@mn! He's talking to me!" In some cases I find this valid and a very positive thing, but in other cases, I believe that some preachers use it to advance the financial goals of their church. So I can't always believe what a preacher has to say. Basically, I can believe the WORD, but not always the person preaching it. Sometimes I look at the scriptures they use in their sermons just to see what I can draw from it and develop my own interpretation because I can't always take what I hear from preachers as truth. Just me. Aside from that, at the pentecostal/baptist/free-gospel/whatever churches, the number of offerings per service seems to average like 2.5...I barely have enough money for the first joint! That BLOWS ME!

My relationship with God is like that I have with one of my closest cousins. You talk to them all the time, you respect their opinion, and you enjoy being in their presence. Most people would consider me a fake-Christian because I don't go to church, which doesn't really bother me. But even though I don't go to church and I say all types of wild stuff on my blog and I make mistakes and bad decisions like everyone else, I do believe that Jesus died for my sins, that He rose from the dead, and that if I repent and ask for His forgiveness I will be saved from the pits of hell and granted eternal life with Him in Heaven. I firmly believe that!

God and I speak on a regular basis through prayer and through me asking him to help me not lose it when dealing with ni99orant folks and to give me strength, patience, humility, etc. I believe God understands me fully and accepts me for who I am, and the person I strive to be. I'm good knowing that. I also believe he understand that because of how I was raised; how I was introduced to church; the type of churches I've been exposed to, that my walk back to church may be different than most peoples' and that it may take longer. Yet-and-still, he never lets me stay away too long.

So to those of you who always encourage me, don't lose hope. I'd like to send a special shot-out to all those people that have given me real opinions and perspectives on church and God. Especially that boy J-Rock.

"Who the f&ck is this? Paging me at 5:46 in the morning crack of dawning..."

Sei sure can (LOL)

That's my boy Sei at the Style Warz hip-hop battle at the Five Seasons last Thursday. My man got up on stage to finish off one of the most memorable hip-hop verses of all time (RIP Biggie). Shot out to Sei for having the guts to get on stage. Guess that prize of a FREE DRINK made your decision a litle easier huh mayne?

Shot out to everybody who came through last Thursday. I had a good time with you guys and I hope you enjoyed yourselves as well. It definitely seemed like we were all having a ball. Or maybe it was those 2-for-1 drinks a few of us had before the competition began. LOL.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Many of you are about to be mad with me because I know you like this song. I like this song too, BUT...

1. Is it just me or does this guy seem to have no real singing talent? I mean, I could almost do as good as he does on this song. Where's the range? Can we get a note and not just this soft-a$$ monotone crap the whole song?

2. Shouldn't this be a BUSTA RHYMES song featuring Robin Thicke? Busta gets his thing off on this joint and really steals the show. Robin Thicke says the same thing over and over and over again. Yeah man we know...If you don't get at her someone else will...blah blah blah

3. Does this dude seem like a fake-Justin Timberlake to you or is it just me? I mean he sounds alot like Justin in this song but he doesn't appear to have the ability to sing in any other tone than what we hear in this video and the lil Wayne Shooters video (which is wack to me by the way. The video that is)

So while you enjoy the song below, think about the fact that nowadays they can throw anyone with a slight bit of talent over a good beat and add a popular rapper and everybody is supposed to think it's DOPE! Nah nikka! NOT ME! I like the beat, YES! I like Busta's verse, YES! But I'm not feeling this Thicke guy (no Johnnycakes). Not at all. I need to hear a ballad or something where he shows he can do more than just talk in a soft, fake suave voice. Until then...PUH-LEEEEZ stop trying to pass this off as talent.

Before I begin, I will admit that I have been dealing with a chronic battle with homophobia for some time now (see here). But it's getting much much better. So I think I am ready to give my humble opinion on this issue.

First and foremost, I am NOT knocking anyone and their sexuality. Secondly, I understand that there are serious double-standards when it comes to gay men and gay women. So I say all this stuff tongue-in-cheek (I think I need a NO JOHNNYCAKES on that one).

Creative sexuality is the fad of today. Whether it's a girl being gay or bisexual, or a man being gay, that's the fad. With guys it is less of a fad, but there are a lot of guys out here experimenting behind closed doors. This disgusts me greatly, but I can definitely say that I have been in the club and seen both covertly and overtly gay guys. It really makes me scared for you ladies out here because these guys don't show any signs that they may be homosexual. To me, this makes the whole dating scene pretty d@mn scary. When you have men who may be sleeping with men but at the same time sleeping with women, you run the risk of getting all types of STDs. I won't go into the biology of the situation but let's just say that sticking it in a man's poo and then sticking it in a girl's goo is not scientifically safe AT ALL. Excuse my elementary-ness.

I believe that most people who are homosexual start off their lives straight and even if they "weren't sure" or felt like they were gay, they have at the very least dated someone of the opposite sex once or twice just to be sure. Whether or not you want to believe people are born gay or not is another discussion for another time. Personally, I think a small number of people may be born that way, but for most people it appears to be just a choice induced by societal influences and low self-esteem.

For example, when I was in high school my freshman year there were 3 or 4 guys who were seniors and were overtly gay. I think they loved the attention of being the "gay guys" at school. And that's what they were known as. But in my eye, it was just a matter of them having low self-esteem, wanting attention, and that was the easiest way to get it. Another example is in the high schools of today. Nowadays it is FAR from uncommon to see groups of *gay* or *bi* girls walking the halls holding hands as well as *gay* or *bi* guys frollicking around on their tippy-toes. But I believe that television networks like MTV and BET have helped contribute to this phenomenon by throwing it in your face in videos, shows, and other forms of "entertainment". These high schoolers watch these shows and don't get anything other than the sexuality of what they see. They don't get the education or message behind it (if one actually exists).

My stance on this entire situation is that if you feel like you want to be gay, then be gay. But don't feel like you're gay because you watched an MTV/BET show and saw Britney kiss Madonna or two girls kiss at the end of the Source Awards well, that's just wack. Also, don't let your low self-esteem make you feel like you have no choice but to "cross-over" and date people of your own sex. If parents nowadays raised their children to be strong, intelligent, and have some pride and dignity, I think that this phenomenon of creative sexuality would be less prominent.

For the record, I have no REAL issues with gay men or women other than seeing two men kiss just bothers me. And seeing two men grind on the dance floor bothers me. And seeing two men holding hands just bothers me.

YUCK!

But if that's how you roll, it's your choice and it's a free country so do you.

I don't agree with it, but I understand it's just how some people live their lifestyle. But those of you out there who are homosexual for the *wrong reasons* need to check yourself.

I ran across this video today on fellow blogging friend Dallas Penn's blog. This could quite possibly be one of the all-time funniest joints I have ever seen. The engineering genius that goes into this sandwich and the frugality make this video at once comical yet educational. Not to mention empowering. You guys are HILARIOUS!

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

I ain't no Chingy fan but d@mn! This joint ROCKS! And the ladies latest dark-skindeded heartthrob kills this joint. Actually, without Tyrese, I probably wouldn't even like this joint. And Chingy can't really rap so it would probably have been a little better if someone like LL was on the joint. Even with all those reservations, this is STILL one of my favorite songs at the moment.

I am NOT a 3-6 Mafia fan other than liking some of their stuff that's been on the radio. But a true fan I am not. This joint however, might make me a fan. The video is dope, the beat is dope. I just like it! Bow Wow sices the joint a little. Ever since he dropped that verse on the Franchise Boyz remix I've been paying more attention to his raps (even though he probably doesn't actually write them) and he's sounding ayight. Question: Doesn't Project Pat rap just like the rest of 3-6 Mafia? Is he a member? He can replace Krispidy Krunchidy Black, right?

Living in Bodymore, Murdaland and having two friends who work for Baltimore city child support, I've heard some crazy stories about baby daddies and baby mommas and the whole issue of child support. Nothing specific, but just some general craziness.

But you know me, I'm always one to try and look out for our people. Sooooooo, I've come up with an idea that will not only get me rich QUICK, it will help alleviate the problem of baby mommas figuring out who their baby's fathers are.

My Idea: THE E-PATERNITY TEST

How it works:

1. Visit my website and register. No URL right now, this is just an idea at this point people! But it'll probably be something like www.CatchHisAss.com or www.NeedMyTubesTied.com or www.MyBabyNeedsADaddy.com

2. Submit potential baby daddy picture:

2. Submit baby picture. And not the one with the corn-rows or the buck-naked bathtub shot...A nice Olan Mills or Segal Majestic joint!

3. Once the two images are submitted, my high-quality image super-positioning system will use NANO-TECHNOLOGY (tech buzz word, venture capitalists will go crazy over this) to superimpose the two pictures and verify baby-daddy-ness. Check out the prototype below (may take a second or two to load):

4. Once our system has either identified the man in quesiton, you'll receive one of the following messages.

For men:"YEAH NI99A, THAT'S YOUR D@MN KID! Pay up!""Can't hide no more homie! Come off that cash""Should have strapped up FOOL!""18 years, 18 years! And on the 18th bday found out it's YOUR KID!"

For women:"It's him GIRL! Go downtown and fill out the paperwork.""Nope, it's not A.I.'s baby! But you can still get a lil cash from this FOOL.""Yeah, it's him. But next time keep your d@mn legs closed! Your kid didn't ASK to be here!"

4. Once you've received one of these messages, print it out and bring it with you to your local child support office. The rest will be up to you and your friendly child support officer.

Disclaimer: People, this is just a joke. Don't take it too seriously! For those of you with the permanent stick up your a$$, the pictures above are of me so you don't have to wonder who that guy is and who that baby is.

After months and months of pondering whether to join myspace due to societal influences beyond my control or ability to ignore forever...I tried to join my-wack-a$$-space about 30 minutes ago.

This attempt only confirmed what I had always thought and expected. The site is a glorified version of Blackplanet.com. The sign-up process was SLOW, complicated, and gave wayyy too many options for someone as simple-minded as myself to complete in a decent amount of time. I actually made it through a decent part of setting everything up, but it was just too much shyt! Jeez! I gotta put my life in their database just to sign-up and have my real friends on my e-friends list! WTF? Aside from that, everything just seemed e-GHETTO.

I really wish I could join and not have feelings of regret afterward. I really do. I could probably have made a nice network of e-friends and had some e-fun. But it was e-frustrating as e-hell trying to sign-up for the daggon site. And that e-liminated me from e-caring n-e-more.

I've always been reluctant to sign up and this experience just confirmed those feelings for me. Sorry people, no myspace for me...At least not for another few months (LOL). Actually, you might be able to find my blank-a$$ myspace page still up there since their server seemed to be having convulsions while I was trying to sign-up. Check me out on myspace: http://myspace.com/mcarroll4716 (you knew what my "handle" was gonna be, right?)

BLOGGER.COM...You have my allegiance and loyalty...For now! You guys are short as hell once I get another computer and start running my own server and website. ;-)

Monday, July 24, 2006

"New Harvest is a nonprofit research organization working to develop new meat substitutes, including cultured meat — meat produced in vitro, in a cell culture, rather than from an animal."

#1 - I thought KFC had been making test tube chicken, so what's really new? Oh, now I can get test tube pork and beef. Sorry, I prefer my chittlins from a real pig's intestines.

"Because meat substitutes are produced under controlled conditions impossible to maintain in traditional animal farms, they can be safer, more nutritious, less polluting, and more humane than conventional meat."

#2 - Safer? Ever heard of cloning? I don't really think it's safe to eat a semi-cloned animal? I mean, there's already enough additives and other crap added to the natural food we eat. Why would I want to eat something that's not even part natural?

#3 - I do think that eating healthy is a very good idea. I don't mind eating more stuff from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, but d@mn! When I eat meat, I'd like to know it's coming from a cow and/or pig and not some lab in Southwest Oregon. No thanks!

If people are so concerned about the safety of our meat and so on and so forth, then don't eat it. You always have the option of vegetarianism. Nobody's forcing you to eat it. There's nice tofu and quiche waiting on you to devour it!

What kills me is the number of people I've known who act as if they don't eat meat but really do! These are the people I call halfatarians. Maybe I should try and get this in the Urban Dictionary.

Lupe Fiasco: This kid's got a LOT of talent. Very very good lyricist. I think hip-pop might latch on to him and push him to extreme popularity like Kanye. I think hip-hop is gonna LOVE him like I do. I think rap is gonna hate on him for being too soft, too conscious, too "backpack". But I got a couple tracks so I'll let you be the judge. (Kick, Push is still my favorite Lupe joint I've heard thus far.)

Freeway:"Watch what you say out ya mouf, when you talkin on the phone to hus-a-luhs!" I like Freeway. Seems like most people really like him or they really hate him (or his voice at least).

World War 3 (feat. Jay-Z). The song is just sick. So sick that the first time I heard it, I didn't like it because I couldn't follow along. But once I got used to the beat and his flow I realized he rips this joint. Check out his currency bars about the franc and the Euro. Ilikesdat!

...And for all my street hip-hop heads...I got some Clipse that's just FIRE!

Clipse:

FREESTYLE. One thing I don't get is that "yiiiiuuuuck" sound Malice makes now. But I guess that's his lil sound thing. Seems like every rapper has a sound or ad-lib their known for. And the dude Ab-Liva pretty much BLAZES every bar of this joint.

Yesterday I was at my grandmother's house waiting on my mother, stepfather, and two of my brothers (Marcus & Manny) to come by so we could head to Six Flags America. While there, I watched the end of the British Open Championship with my grandparents.

As you would expect, Tiger Woods was kicking a$$! He was 18 shots under par going into the 17th hole and the guy in second place (Chris Dimarcos I believe) was like 14 under par. This is a 4 stroke lead with two holes to play and anyone who knows a slight bit about golf or has listened to Sportscenter enough knows that Tiger doesn't lose under these circumstances. Him losing would be like saying last year's Colts team has a 44-20 lead with five minutes to play and all the starters still in on offense. They're most likely gonna win the game. And yes, I know a little about golf. Not much. But Sportcenter can be VERY educational.

Anyway, Tiger goes on to win the championship and gets his 11th "major championship". In golf, a "major" victory is pretty much the measuring stick of how good you are as a player. Unlike other sports where there's a single championship every year, in golf they have "majors" and all of them are like the superbowl of golf. Well, except the Masters I guess. The British Open Championship was Tiger's 11th major and his second win in a row at this major championship event. The boy's BAD, but of course, you already know this.

Now what I liked most about watching this was that after the last hole, Tiger broke down and got real emotional because his father recently passed. And if you know anything about Tiger, you know he and his dad were best friends. So this victory was Tiger's first since his dad passed (I believe) and he got real emotional. But after the emotions came out and he went up to make his speech and receive his trophy, Tiger was articulate, classy, and held his emotions intact. I was impressed!

Admitedly, up until yesterday, I considered this guy a total cornball! I mean the coblonasian thing and he always seemed too preppy...I thought this guy was pretty d@mn corny. But I have a newfound respect for Tiger Woods and I think he's really just a normal, genuine, and sincere guy. He just seems like a good person. I like that, so I'm adding him to my newly developed (as in right now) list of role models.

I guess I've always had role models, but I've never actually sat down and thought about exactly who the people were. It was just a subconsious thing you never really mouthed or wrote down. You're influenced by lots of people in your lifetime and you're impacted by lots of people. But only a few do you call your actual role models. Here are mine. I'm sure this list will expand the more I give this thought.My Role Models:

This is definitely one of the funniest things I've seen on Youtube in a minute (since last week). WARNING: EXPLICIT (Watch your volume!)

My favorite parts of this joint:

- CamRon thinks that he has "RED" on his "PINK" is because Juelz blows his whistle so much. AND, when Cam questions him, he says: "I don't even have the whistle today!" LMAO!

- "Imma whoop YAZZ B!" "Yazz" = "Your a$$"

- "Imma get on some songs and talk" - Jim Jones

- "My daughter, she don't know her ABC's..." The entire rap is pretty much what Cam would say on a real track.

- Jeezy cries when he is told he can't use his ad-libs (could this be a reflection of reality)

- Jim Jones fake thug is exposed by store worker.

I've got ANOTHER joint for you guys too! Check out the Chicken Noodle Soup Dance...HARLEMITES STAND-UP! Or sit down, depending on whether you reall think this dance is cool or not. I might get buzzed one day and end up trying this crap so I can't really hate too much. Some stuff is just contagious I guess...

For those of you who (like me) kinda thought about the old G-Dep/Black Robb after watching this joint. Yes this is the same dance that little girl (and some other kid) is doing in the Black Robb/G-Dep video (Let's Get It). They've got like a harlem-shakish type of chicken noodle dinner soup dance going on. By the way, this video just SICED the HELL OUT OF ME!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

In response to some of his crew members horrendous album sales numbers, Hell Rell of DIPSET fame infamy says:

"It won't happen, but say J.R. and I do flop. I'm still going to be pushing nicer cars than most rappers and getting money. We already have paper, so that's not the concern here. As long as we make powerful music, the people will embrace us. Our money isn't going anywhere."

I'm still laughing at the fact that he thinks they're music is powerful. I guess this is powerful without a positive connotation. More importantly though, this dude (who I used to like by the way) is a shining example of the tainted mentality of many cats who grow up in the hood, get money, but still refuse to educate themselves and stop being NI99ORANT!

Maybe he should listen to Big Treat so they can figure out why their album sales are SUCKING:"You hating dudes ain't got a clue. Don't be mad at me/Your rap's catastrophe from a lack of strategy/"

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Last week I had a very brief conversation with a co-worker that helped me realize (or I should say reinforce) that I grew up poor. Here's the story...

We were walking to lunch and my co-worker informed me that he had, for the first time, went to a liquor store where there was the HUGE bulletproof window that you have to talk through to order your libations. Now I grew up in Capitol Heights, MD (we call it CH). This is right next door to southeast (pronounced Souf-feast) D.C. The only liquor stores I knew when I was a youth were liquor stores with drive-through windows (which seems to be an uncommon thing to most people) and HUGE bulletproof glass with a little turnstyle that you put your money in to pay for your liquor and also received your liquor through. So in my world, this was what a liquor store is/was.

Now that I'm in Bmore I have seen liquor stores that are like supermarkets like Wells Liquor Store on York Road up here in Bmore. You walk in and it's like a supermarket of wine, beer, and liquor.

In Capitol Heights, all the liquor stores are called "LIQUOR STORES". Even if they sell wine and beer as well. In "other" areas it seems these stores are called "packaged goods" stores or places where you can get "spirits". Yeah, whatever! It's a liquor store. From my perspective, the difference appears to be that when you're in a *good* neighborhood the stores are called packaged goods stores or places where you can get wine and spirits. But where I grew up - a place I always considered middle class - the stores are str8 up liquor stores.

So when my co-worker said this, it got me thinking about why this is the case and that I must have grown up a lot poorer than I really think I did. It also made me realize the difference in the interior appearance of the liquor store versus that of a packaged goods store.

In a liquor store there are posters of scantilly clad women (mostly black or hispanic) that make it appear as though they'll think you're cool if you either smoke cigarettes or drink liquor. But I don't notice these same posters in packaged good stores. Something tells me they're there, but they're just not in your line-of-sight and also not as prominently placed. In addition, liquor stores are usually run by Asians, Arabics, or some random black guy they got to man the cash register. In a packaged goods store, I have seen teenage white kids and also what appear to be middle-class white folks. These are just things I've come to realize since that conversation.

So my questions are:

1. Why are stores in the "hood" labeled liquor stores and those in "good neighborhoods" called something else?

2. Why are the stores in the hood run and managed (but not owned) by minorities?

3. Why are the marketing and promotional materials in liquor stores so blatantly sexual and prominently placed?

I guess I could surmise some answers (naturally, I already have) to these questions and rant about it. That's what I do on this blog, right? But instead I'd just like to put that information out there and see what you guys think about it. Sip a lil of that good YAK and let me know what you think...

And before you get at me, realize everything is this way for a reason, not by chance or happenstance.

Now don't get me wrong, I like my Ciroc vodka just like everybody else.

I'm a social drinker. I like to get my sip on from time-to-time. But the older I get I'm definitely thinking more and more about why things are marketed to me the way that they are.

So the next time you're out buying some liquor or beer or wine at one of these stores, just take a look around and think about my questions above. Maybe you'll feel something. At the very least you'll have given it some thought.

"It's gotta be more to this generation than drinking and smoking all they weed up"

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

During my usual late-night viewing of Sportscenter on Sunday, I heard something that I thought was just a Trey Wingo joke, but actually turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise.

"Rookie J.R. Todd earned his first victory in his ninth career NHRA event at the Mopar Mile High NHRA Nationals on Sunday, beating Tony Schumacher..."

But there's one important thing that's left out of my stolen quote there. J.R. Todd is a black man. And he became the first black man EVER to win a Top Fuel drag racing event. This is pretty historic.

Because of my grandfather and his love for cars and my stepfather's str8 up countriness, I know a little about the NHRA and drag racing. Not to mention NASCAR and the IRL.

For those of you who don't know what the NHRA is, the National Hot Rod Association. You don't hear of many black people being involved in the NHRA. Granted, I haven't kept up with the sport on a regular basis EVER. But I've watched enough drag races to recognizes there weren't any people "like me" out there burnin' up the quarter mile straight-away.

My pseudo-knowledge of the sport goes back to sitting at my grandparents house with my grand-dad listening to him tell me about Joe Amato and Shirley Muldowney and how great racers they were. Not to mention my stepfather telling me about John Force and how he was out there beating everyone in his funnycar. So I have a slight bit of knowledge about the sport and I know some of the people who were/are good. And random stuff like the reason they drive through alcohol and do burn-outs prior to getting on the finish line.

Drag racing is actually a pretty fun sport to watch to be honest. But you know us bruhs don't normally sit down for an hour of any type of auto-racing. We wanna see somebody getting HIT or DUNKED ON! LOL.

But J.R. Todd made history this past weekend and I think it's appropriate to give this guy a shot-out for being the first black man to accomplish this feat. To put the speed, danger, and driving talent all in perspective:

"Todd, driving in his ninth career event, never trailed in the final at Bandimere Speedway, dismissing the three-time series champion with a 4.906-second run at 291.63 mph."

See if you can drive your car in a straight line for a quarter mile doing 120. Let alone 291! It probably takes more skill than you think and it's VERY VERY dangerous

From August 23 through August 27, 2006, qualifying clothing and footwear sold in Maryland and priced at $100 or less will be exempt from Maryland's 5 percent sales and use tax. The five-day Sales Tax Holiday event gives Maryland shoppers a unique, money-saving incentive to shop in state for back-to-school, summer clearance, fall fashion, and other purchases, while helping Maryland merchants compete with retail markets in neighboring states.

"Under an unusual agreement aimed at keeping lowlifes off its high-priced turf, a Northern Liberties neighborhood group backed off its opposition to the Foodery takeout beer shop after the store's owner promised not to stock Colt and other cheap malt liquors."

Can you read between the lines?

Lowlife: We know what this really means. This means people that are poor and seen as a threat to the community and its residents. I will not bring race into the picture though we know what the underlying assumption is.

"In recent years, Northern Liberties has become a center for local artists and musicians. Large improvement and revitalization projects have also been undertaken recently causing a large jump in property values. The neighborhood has been targeted for revitalization because it is very close to Center City yet contains many vacant lots and abandoned historic properties. Like many Philadelphia neighborhoods, the housing stock is primarily made up of rowhouses"

"Large jump in property values..." Of course. Considering you are gentrifying *revitalizing* the place. Revitalization is a buzzword among city governments nowadays and seems like it's been part of many mayors plans to get in office and stay in. Pick a neighborhood to revitalize, tell people how it's gonna help the city so much...But don't think about the people who you're displacing. Just think about the wealthy new people who'll flock to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to live in an area that'll thrive in the next 5-10 years and skyrocket your property value, the governments taxes on that property, and the egos of everyone who's trendy and successful enough to make a purchase.

Funny thing is, people in the hood/ghetto know what revitalization really means, but just aren't empowered enough to do anything about it. That's the sad part.

"The agreement, which was approved by the city Zoning Commission, specifically bans the sale of popular but often-condemned 40-ounce bottles...The neighborhood group thought carrying 40-ouncers would attract panhandlers and riffraff....In addition to Colt 45, the deal bans the sale of Crazy Horse,Old English 800, St. Ides and Silver Thunder, as well as other malt liquors in 40-ounce bottles"

Who do YOU KNOW that drinks 40s? Better yet, who do "they" assume are the 40-drinkers? We've all seen Boyz N Da Hood and Menace II Society. We know who's coppin' the 2-11's (Steel Reserve) and Colt 45 and St. Ides. The bruhs most likely.

THE SAD PART:

I can't be mad! I can't be mad that people want to keep their neighborhood clean. I can't be mad they don't want drunks, panhandlers, or whatever other sketchy characters around their homes and their kids. I wouldn't want any of that in my neighborhood either.

BUT THE QUESTION IS...

What are they doing to help these people that they don't want around? What is the local government doing? Is it about getting them away from you and f*ck-em after that? Or is it about saying, "There's a problem, we are going to try to stop it from affecting us, but we want to help these people. Because they're people, just like we are".

I realize it's not the responsibility (necessarily) of the residents to help these people, it's more of a governmental issue. While they're spending all this time coming to terms on zoning agreements and dishing out more liquor licenses, maybe they could be looking into ways to more effectively help these people. Like ways to attract them to places that can help them with their drinking/drug problem. Places that can help them get clean, get a job, and get on the right track.

So many areas of this country enforce incarceration OVER rehabilitation. And even worse, incarceration WITHOUT rehabilitation. People need help with their problems, not to be locked in a cell where they can form even more destructive ways.

Nowadays so many people are concerned with the value of their home and the value of their neighborhood as a whole and trying to maintain it and keep it rising. But what about the value of human life? Do we just not give a F*CK anymore? DAMN!

Moral to my story. People like the one you're about to see don't need to be thrown from one ghetto to another or from one jail cell to another. They need to be rehabilitated!

It might be funny at first, but when you think about it, is it really funny?

Last night was the final meeting of my IT Strategic Change Management class (don't ask me what that title means). My group had our final presentation to give and a deliverable to hand in and now it's a DONE DEAL!

The class was interesting. Because it was summer session it went pretty quickly (met Tues and Thurs from 5:30-8:30pm for about 7 weeks). I like getting these joints over so that was all good with me. Next up will more likely than not be one of the following 3 courses. Which would you take (and "NONE" is not an option smart-a$$e$)?

- Project Management for IT

- Technical Writing and Communication Skills for IT Professionals (I bet no one votes for this one

- Information Security Foundations

Wait until I get this Master's Degree completed. Imma be partying like "Rick James B&TCH!"

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

If this article hits home, you may want to re-evaluate your morals and your level of self-respect. The sad part about this article is that it's so so true. What's even worse is that there are actually lots of women who go to these NBA events just to enjoy themself or have a good time with their girlfriends. But your attire and your attitude can get you grouped in with the rest of the "working girls".

"It will be here, in the lovely Doubletree Hotel, that the working girls will set up camp for the next three days. By working girls, we don’t mean hookers, though these will inﬁltrate the Doubletree as well. (It gets a little tricky, because the working girls and the “working girls” tend to dress alike."

"They save all year for this. They put in for their vacation time early. They spring for hair extensions and new boots."

This sound familiar to any of people out there? I know it does for me. But most women I know that do this are not NBA groupies, they call into the #3 category. But again, your attire, attitude, and level of self-respect can get you demoted to definition #2 (yes, demoted).

The break-down of types of groupies is actually kind of interesting and hilarious: "1. The Gutter Groupies. These are the women who will wait outside the arena gates after a game and do anything, sometimes right there in the parking lot. If a player is feeling particularly chivalrous, he might let one service him in his Bentley. Gutter Groupies don’t spring for airfare and hotel rooms for NBA All-Star weekend. They won’t go that far to give a free blow job.

2. The Working Girls. The most prevalent category. Working Girls will bang a player if the opportunity arises, yes, but they won’t do just anything, and they don’t wait in parking lots. “They’re the ones reading In Style magazine but doing the Look for Less,” Brenda says. They’re mostly blue-collar, often from the hood, and more likely to be swept up by the “culture of the NBA” —which is to say, hip-hop—than by the actual game or the players. “They’re notch-in-the-belt party girls,” says Brenda, “who’d be happy with a ﬂing with a bodyguard.” She pauses. “Basically, this is their hobby. Working Girls have a helluva lot more fun.”

3. The Fly Girls. These are the women who are just classy enough to merit a second encounter with a player. They might even get a piece of jewelry or a ride on the team’s private plane. To be a Fly Girl, you need to be toting real Louis Vuitton. “You also have to be really gorgeous,” says Brenda. A great many Fly Girls are often in denial, she says. “They refuse to see themselves as groupies. They need All-Star rehab or something.”

4. The Upper Crust. The stratospheric category of babe (see: Eva Longoria, Vanessa Williams, et al.) who might end up engaged or married (however brieﬂy) to a player. The Upper Crust also includes women whose daddies or daddies’ lawyers can get them backstage with the players. They tend to be bony-assed white girls who may not marry the players—but won’t be left out on the curb, either."

Tell me these aren't cool! These kids are talented. Ya'll know this is something I'd have my son doing...LOL. If I had one! Somebody should show these to Jay-Z.

From YouTube...

"The Young hov Collection. A series of music vids inspired by the work of Jay-z. Starring 13 year old Samgoma Edwards, created AND DIRECTED By his brother Samtubia and CO DIRECTED AND PRODUCED with friend Chris Alverez."

Starring Samgoma EdwardsDirected and Produced by Chris Alvarez and Samtubia Edwards

I just had a mini-email conversation (well, just 2 messages) with a friend of mine about how over-rated Young Jeezy is. LOL. Many of you already know that last summer Young Jeezy's "Go Crazy" and "Soul Survivor" were my JOINTS! And that I liked his entire CD from beginning to end.

But WE ALL KNOW this guy is NOT a lyricist. He's just a rapper. People like Jay-Z, Nas, Common, Mos Def...Those guys are lyricists all in their own way. People like Jeezy, Nelly, Snoop, etc. They're pretty much just rappers. And alot of the "new" hip-hop *acts* (see Dem Franchise Boyz, D4L) are simply entertainers and not rappers and definitely not lyricists (just my opinion).

Anyway, Young Jeezy's about to drop a new album (Thug Motivation 102...LOL) and whether YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, I am jive/jye waiting to hear this joint. Fortunately for me though, Jeezy was nice enough to put his first joint on his website...Check it out! It should start playing as soon as you hit the webpage. It's a music controller at the bottom when you're ready to shut it off. LMAO!

This song, well the chorus, is completely hilarious to me. His lyrics are as you would expect, at or below average (LMAO).

Okay, what do Lucky Charms and Corn Flakes have to do with one-another?"They was outta Cris, so I ordered Dom/I was like WHAAT! Call me Lil Jon/"

LMAO! Evidently, he did not get the memo from his boss (Jay-Z) about the Crissy. Or perhaps he was in the 40/40 Club (where they no longer serve Crissy) and had to resort to buying the $250 bottle of Dom rather than the $400 bottle of Cristal.

The ad-libs however, are (as you would expect) totally humorous and entertaining. "She don't like my flow, she just like my ad-libs!" Yes! Me too! You're a funny dude! This dude really entertains/tickles (no johnnycakes) the hell out of me.

(NOTE: You can even download his label's, Corporate Thugz Entertainment, summer sampler. That is, if you want something to skip through)

But one thing about this dude...He has that whole street anthem thing down. So I figure this will be his way to keep the streets listening and then drop a more club/party type joint next. I mean, we all know the typical rap formulas nowadays (I'll probably refine and re-define these later with some examples):

1. Drop a party song...Drop another party song...Drop a party song2. Drop a party song...Drop a street joint...Drop another party joint3. Drop a street joint on the LOW (ie - mixtape circuit)...Drop a party joint on the radio if the street joint doesn't generate interest. If the street joint generates some buzz, see if you can get it on radio

This has got to be the funniest thing I have seen in a minute. Especially after this bama was drunk at the NBC finals game in Dallas and they interviewed him. In the words of Money Mike, "What? You thought I was FAKE PIMPIN'?!!"

Monday, July 10, 2006

We could have known that it would come to this way back in 1896. Thatwas the year that Paul Lawrence Dunbar dropped a jewel for the ages,telling the world that "we wear the mask that grins and lies." Thepoet's point was that beneath the camouflage of subservient smiles,black folks of the Jim Crow era were hiding a powder keg of otheremotions, waiting patiently for the chance to detonate. The thing is,Dunbar never got the chance to spit bars with 50 Cent or throw in aguest collabo on a Mobb Deep album. If he had, then he would've knownthat grins and lies were only half the story.

These days, camouflage is the new black. Glance at hip hop for lessthan a second and it becomes clear that the music operates on a singlehope: that if the world mistakes kindness for weakness it can also beled to confuse meanness with strength. That principle explains whythere is a permanent reverence for the thug within the music; it iswhy there is a murderer's grit and a jailhouse tat peering back at youfrom the cover of damn near any CD you picked up in the last fiveyears. But what hip hop can't tell you, the secret that it would justas soon take to its deathbed is that it this urban bravado is a guise,a mask, a head-fake to shake the reality of fear and powerlessness inAmerica. Hip hop will never admit that our assorted thugs and gangstasare not the unbowed symbol of resistance to marginalization, but themost complacent and passive products of it.

We wear the mask that scowls and lies.

You could see which way the wind was blowing way in the early 90s whenDr. Dre was being ripped off by white Ruthless Records CEO JerryHeller, and nonetheless got his street cred up by punching and kickingDee Barnes, a black woman journalist, down a flight of stairs. In thislight, hip hop's obsessive misogyny makes a whole lot more sense. Itis literally the logic of domestic violence. A man is abused by alarger society, but there are consequences to striking back at thesource of his problems. So he transfers his anger to an acceptableoutlet – the women and children in his own household, and byextension, all the black people who constitute his own community.

Nothing better illustrates that point than the recent Oprah Debacle.Prior to last month, if you'd heard that a group of rappers had teamedup to attack a billionaire media mogul you would think that hip hophad finally produced a moment of collective pride on par with theblack power fists of the 1968 Olympics. But nay, just more blackface.

In the past two months, artists as diverse as Ludacris, 50 Cent andIce Cube have attacked Oprah Winfrey for her alleged disdain for hiphop. It's is a sad but entirely predictable irony that the oneinstance in which hip hop's reigning alpha males summon the testicularfortitude to challenge someone more powerful and wealthy than theyare, they choose to go after a black woman.

The whole set up was an echo of some bad history. Two centuries ago,professional boxing got its start in America with white slaveholderswho pitted their largest slaves against those from competingplantations. Tom Molineaux. First black heavyweight champion came upthrough the ranks breaking the bones of other slaves and making whitemen rich. After he'd broken enough of them, he was given his freedom.The underlying ethic was clear: an attack on the system that has madea slave of you will cost you your life, but an attack on another blackperson might just be the road to emancipation.

The basis for this latest bout of black-on-black pugilism was Oprah'spurported stiff-arming of Ludacris during an appearance on her showwith the cast of the film Crash. Ludacris later complained that thehost had made an issue of lyrics she saw as misogynistic. Cube jumpedinto the act whining that Oprah has had all manner of racist flotsamon her show but has never invited him to appear – proof, in his mind,that she has an irrational contempt for hip hop. Then 50 threw in histwo cents with a claim that Oprah's criticism of hip hop was anattempt to win points with her largely white, middle class audience.All told, she was charged her with that most heinous of hip hop'sfelonies: hateration.

But before we press charges, isn't 50 the same character who openlyexpressed his love for GW Bush as a fellow "gangsta" and demanded thatthe black community stop criticizing how he handled Hurricane Katrina?Compare that to multiple millions that Oprah has disseminated to ourcommunities (including building homes for the Katrina families,financing HIV prevention in South Africa and that $5 million shedropped on Morehouse College alone) and the idea of an ex-crack dealerchallenging her commitment to black folk becomes even more surreal.

In spite of – or, actually, as a result of -- his impeccable gangstacredentials, 50 basically curtsied before a President who stayed onvacation for three days while black bodies floated down the NewOrleans streets. No wonder it took a middle-class preppie with anAfrican name and no criminal record to man-up and tell the whole worldthat "George Bush don't care about black folks." No wonder DavidBanner – a rapper who is just a few credits short of a Master's Degreein social work -- spearheaded hip hop's Katrina relief concerts, notany of his thug counterparts who are eternally shouting out the hoodsthey allegedly love.

The 50 Cent, whose music is a panoramic vision on black-on-blackhomicide, and who went after crosstown rival Ja Rule with thevengeance of a dictator killing off a hated ethnic minority dideverything but tap dance when Reebok told him to dismantle his pornproduction company or lose his lucrative sneaker endorsement deal.

But why single out 50? Hip hop at-large was conspicuously silent whenBush press secretary Tony Snow (a rapper's alias if ever there wasone) assaulted hip hop in terms way more inflammatory than Oprah'smild request:"Take a look at the idiotic culture of hip-hop and whaddya have? Youhave people glorifying failure. You have a bunch of gold-toothed hotdogs become millionaires by running around and telling everybody elsethat they oughtta be miserable failures and if they're really luckymaybe they can get gunned down in a diner sometime, like Eminem's oldrunning mate."

(We're still awaiting an outraged response from the thug community forthat one.) Rush Limbaugh has blamed hip hop for everything short ofthe Avian flu but I can't recall a single hip hop artist who has goneafter him lyrically, publicly or physically. Are we seeing a themeyet?

It's worth noting that Ludacris did not devote as much energy to BillO'Reilly -- who attacked his music on his show regularly and causedhim to lose a multi-million dollar Pepsi endorsement – as he did tocriticizing Oprah who simply stated that she was tired of hip hop'smisogyny. Luda was content to diss O'Reilly on his next record and goabout his business. Anyone who heard the interview that Oprah gave onPower 105.1 in New York knew she was speaking for a whole generationof hip hop heads when she said that she loved the music, but shewanted the artists to exercise some responsibility. But this responseis not really about Oprah, or ultimately about hip hop, either. It isabout black men once again choosing a black woman as the safest targetfor their aggression and even one with a billion dollars is still fairgame.

Of all their claims, the charge that Oprah sold out to win points withher white audience is the most tragically laughable. The truth is thather audience's white middle-class kids exert waaay more influence over50 and Cube than their parents do over Oprah. I long ago tired ofCube, a thirty-something successful director, entrepreneur and marriedfather of three children making records about his aged recollectionsof a thug's life. The gangsta theme went cliché eons ago, but Cube, 50and a whole array of their musical peers lack either the freedom orthe vision to talk about any broader element of our lives. The realityis that the major labels and their majority white fan base will notaccept anything else from them.

And there we have it again: more masks, more lies.

It is not coincidental that hip hop has made Ni@$a the most commonnoun in popular music but you have almost never heard any certifiedthug utter the word cracker, ofay, honky, peckerwood, wop, dago,guinea, kike or any other white-oriented epithet. The reason for thatis simple: Massa ain't havin' it. The word fag, once a commonplacederisive in the music has all but disappeared from hip hop'svocabulary. (Yes, these thugs fear the backlash from white gays too.)And bitch is still allowed with the common understanding that the termis referring to black women. The point is this: debasement of blackcommunities is entirely acceptable – required even – by hip hop'spredominantly white consumer base.

We have lived enough history to know better by now – to know thatgangsta is Sonny Liston, the thug icon of his era, threatening to killCassius Clay but completely impotent when it came to demanding thathis white handlers stop stealing his money. Gangsta is the black menat the Parchman Farm prison in Mississippi who beat the civil rightsworkers Fannie Lou Hamer and Annell Ponder into bloody unconsciousnessbecause their white wardens told them to. Gangsta is Michael Ervin,NFL bad boy remaining conspicuously mute on Monday Night Footballwhile Limbaugh dissed Donovan McNabb as an Affirmative Action athlete.Gangsta is Bigger Thomas with dilated pupils and every othersweaty-palmed black boy who saw method acting and an attitude as histicket out of the ghetto.

Surely our ancestors' struggles were about more than creatingmillionaires who could care less about us and then tolerating theirviolent disrespect out of a hunger for black success stories. Surelywe are not so desperate for heroes that we uphold cardboard iconsbecause they throw good glare. There's more required than that. Theweight of history demands more than simply this. Surely we understandthat these men are acting out an age-old script. Taking the TomMolineaux route. Spitting in the wind and breaking black bones. Hopingto become free.

By Dr. Cornel West (about Hip Hop, entertainers, the church, GWB, and the Black community in general)

On T.D. Jakes:"I had to talk to my dear brother T.D. Jakes. Yeah, we had a dialogue, y'all. Went out to dinner spoke four hours before we ordered salad. I love my dear brother. He has enriched my life. He really has. But I told him, 'Brother, I think you lack political courage.' He said 'Oh, brother West why would you say something like that to me? I said because 'I think it's true.' Interaction with the right wing televangelists is not a healthy thing for those who love justice. "

On George Bush:"Don't hate the man. Don't demonize the man. Talk about the effects and consequences of his policy."

On Some Megachurches:"You go to some of these churches today. You see two ATM's before you see a cross."

On Minister Farrakhan:"I love Minister Farrakhan. We just lovingly disagree. He has a deep love for black people. He's under death threats everyday. I just don't agree with all of his vision. I'm part of the King legacy. I'm going with Jesus. I've experienced something."

On the Golden Rule:"You can't love Jesus if you don't love your neighbor. Every neighbor -- not qualified by your finite mind. You know how some Christians are. They love their neighbors but not Negroes, Jews, gays, lesbians, Catholics. Everybody but your friends. You can't love your neighbor if you don't have a loathing for injustice."

On Materialism in the Black Middle Class:"One of the worst things the older generation told young folk: be successful, be successful as they broke the back of American apartheid and Jim and Jane Crow. Be successful. Be successful. They begin to think freedom is really about material choice. It's about personal security. No! Who told you that lie? It's about self respect and self regard and self determination. It's about service to others."

On Bill Cosby¦"My dear brother Bill Cosby who I love greatly. Comic genius but your language of correction must be informed by a language of compassion or they won't hear it that way. I know you love them but make sure you put that love upfront when you talk about irresponsibility."

On Oprah Winfrey ..."Embrace Oprah's entrepreneurial genius but ask for accountability in terms of her political courage."

On Kanye West¦Even Kanye West -- thank God for him -- gets real nervous speaking the truth from his soul. Say it, brother! You say it well in the studio. George Bush does not put a high priority on poor folks, especially black folks. Go on and say it with conviction. We got evidence."

On 50 Cent¦"Here comes a brother of infinite value, he calls himself two quarters, half a dollar, 50 Cent.Kanye's wrong about that. Kanye's wrong about that.' What are you saying 50 Cent? George Bush is in love with poor people? George Bush's policy highlights black people? C'mon 50 Cent. We know you got nine bullets in you. We praying for you. Why don't you speak the truth?"Cornel West

This guy is suing MJ and Nike for $832 million (LMAO) because he is "he is tired of being mistaken for Michael Jordan". This is comedy! Most men would welcome this but I guess this guy just can't take it. Check out some memorable quotes from this guy:

"I'm constantly being accused of looking like Michael and it makes it very uncomfortable for me,"

Okay, so there's somewhat of a resemblance, can't deny that. But what bald-headed dark-skinned black man won't look a lil bit like MJ?

This one is quite laughable. "Even when I go to the gym I'm being accused of playing ball like him (Jordan)...Yes, don't get me wrong it's definitely a positive thing, because Michael, like I say is one of the best ball players that I've known to play the game. But then again, that's Michael and I'm me. So I want to be recognized as me just like Michael's being recognized as Michael."

I can't convey the humor in this as well as Deadspin or as well as you can interpret for yourself in the Foxsports article (the last 5 or 6 lines are CLASSIC).

Thursday, July 6, 2006

Imma leak spill this thing song-by-song. Perhaps one song per day or something like that, we'll see. I'm hoping that since it's a MIXTAPE and not an official album sold in stores (right, Dane?) I won't get locked up for this. For that reason, I would also like to suggest BUYING IT!

Anyway, this is a mixtape. It's part of DJ DRAMA'S Gangsta Grillz series of mixtapes. If you've never heard anything by Little Brother before, I think this is a good introduction to the group, what they're about, and they're music. Hopefully you'll enjoy this stuff as much as I do.

I've got one of Coca-Cola's secrets and all I want is $10K? Very crackhead-ish move! Somebody MUST have a drug habit. Be for real!

"Later 'Dirk' produced other documents that Coca-Cola confirmed were valid trade secrets of Coca-Cola and highly confidential. He also agreed to be paid $75,000 for the purchase of a highly confidential product sample from a new Coca Cola project, prosecutors said."

Okay, now this is more like it. But why not just go for the gusto in a one-shot-deal? Why ask for (say) $1,000,000 up-front for everything? Why increase the risk of getting caught by trying to make 2 separate deals? That's pretty silly.

The Problem:You're working with an EXECUTIVE'S administrative assistant! You don't think they're keeping tabs on an EXECUTIVE'S administrative assistant? This isn't the mail room supervisor's assistant, it's the executive!

The Stupidity:Greed man, greed! It gets you every time. You had to go for the $1.5 million-dollar offer, didn't you! In the words of Red Foxx..."You BIG DUMMY!"

The Result:"Looooooooockkkkk'd UP, won't let me OOOUUUUUUTTTT!" Bet you guys won't be having a Coke or a smile anytime soon. LOL.

Overall: This situation reminds me of a very dumb move I experienced back in high school. Two girls were fighting on the bus about a mile or two from where we were to be let off. The bus driver's so used to people fighting on our bus that she lets the girls fight and continues to the bus stop to let us off (str8 PG County, right?). We get to the bus stop and people start getting off. Some trying to break up the fight and get the girls off in the process. So the girls end up fighting right in front of the door to the bus, but off the bus. There's a break in the "action" and one girl runs back up to the bus to grab the fire extinguisher. The other girl, not to be intimidated screams "Come on then B&TCH!, I ain't scared of that SHYT!" What happened next is something that I will never ever forget and one of the all time funniest things I've seen in my life.

The girl with the fire extinguisher, in a fit of rage, sprays the fire extinguisher. But what she didn't realize is that is was pointed AT HER OWN FACE. So white smoke proceeds to blow all over her face. Me and my homeboys (in our admitted teenage immaturity) BUST OUT LAUGHING! She actually sprayed herself with the fire extinguisher. CLASSIC!

These people trying to steal the Coke secrets and sell them...Almost as dumb as spraying yourself in the face with a fire extinguisher.